5-1 Defeat Was A Blip...Says Levein

Craig Levein has decided that the 5-1 New Years day defeat by Falkirk was just a "blip" and is sure that his Dundee United side can bounce back with a Scottish Cup win over Saint Mirren on Sunday.

Falkirk's Alan Gow scored a hat-trick to complete a humiliating afternoon for United, as John Hughes side scored 5 times to replicate the exact same score line from when the 2 sides last met in the SPL at the Falkirk stadium in October.

"That's one game in eleven that I've been disappointed with the performance," said Levein.

"I've been in the football game long enough now to know that every now and again you get a kick in the teeth and that's what happened to us today."

"Luckily enough we found all our teeth and we've put them back in, but I can't complain with how they've performed up until now - I've got to threat that as a blip, I owe them another chance."

Levein didn't single out any individual for under-performing, but admitted it was a day when many of the United players didn't play well enough.

He continued, "It was one of those days when too many people were off the pace and not playing well."

"The game went the way I imagine John (Hughes) would have planned it to go. Once they got infront, with the system they were playing, it was always going to be difficult for us to get back into it."

"I did chop and change things and I moved people about the pitch, but we didn't really look like getting any joy."